[.ca] Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Widescreen) (ISBN 0783240287)

Amazon.com Essential Video:
Following the successful 1998 video release of Cats comes another Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it's a savvy choice. It hasn't been represented on film before, it's short enough (78 minutes) to present without cuts, and it has the star power of former teen icon Donny Osmond, who played over 1,800 performances across North America. Rather than record a live performance, Cats director David Mallet conceived Joseph as a film, though one that is based strongly on codirector Steven Pimlott's 1991 London revival and relies more on camerawork than venturing beyond its stagelike sets. Lloyd Webber's first project with lyricist Tim Rice was originally written in 1968 as a school cantata; accordingly, this film uses a framing sequence of a school recital, with an audience of clapping, singing kids and members of the faculty playing the roles. The Old Testament tale of Joseph and his coat of many colors gets a splashy, vigorous treatment with an energetic cast, Las Vegas-style glitz, and catchy, eclectic songs, including "Any Dream Will Do," "Close Every Door," the peppy "Go, Go, Go Joseph," and various bits of country, calypso, and Elvis. Osmond is perfect in the title role, with a strong voice and winning persona, while London stage veteran Maria Friedman performs well in the central role of the narrator. Richard Attenborough appears (and sings a little) as Jacob, and Joan Collins makes a brief, nonsinging cameo. Joseph certainly isn't revolutionary musical theater, but if you view it as a kids' show, it's a silly good time (though there are poignant moments too). Parents should note, however, that this production might warrant a little discretion due to one suggestive scene and some risqué costumes. --David Horiuchi

Additional Features:
The DVD includes a modest widescreen presentation (1.55:1 aspect ratio), DTS and Dolby Digital soundtracks, and Go Go Go Joseph, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes look at Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, star Donny Osmond, stage director Steven Pimlott, and others provide insight on the show, its history, and the creation of the film. One point frequently stressed is that Joseph began as a school production, and as such can still coexist with large-budget professional versions. To prove the point, the film observes two British schools rehearsing and performing the show. Perhaps the most amusing segment shows numerous people--from Rice and Lloyd Webber on down--trying to recite the line "It was red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ocher and peach and...." Fortunately for the onscreen actors, they get cue cards!

Lloyd Webber missed the boat...:
Visually, the film was very good. I would have liked it to be filmed in front of a live audience, seeing that much of the energy comes from the audience. There was something missing without the live excitement. Osmond was the natural choice for Joseph. He has a strong presence and amazing voice. He looks pretty good too. Maria Friedman was a HUGE letdown. Don't get me wrong. I've seen her do other things and she's an amazing performer, but is simply wrong for the role of the Narrator, visually and vocally. Back in '97, I was living in London and I was told that Linzi Hateley (originated the role of the Narrator in the London revival, was Olivier nominated, and played it for the entire run) was going in for a screen test. I have no idea as to why she wasn't cast. She's beautiful, extremely talented, and deserved to have her performance of the Narrator archived for the world to see. Another good choice would have been Donny Osmond's original right-hand Narrator, Janet Metz. She would have been a joy to watch. Also, Kelli Rabke would have been good. I also heard that pop singer Tina Arena was originally cast as the Narrator for the film. I don't know why she backed out or was replaced. She would have been better than Maria Friedman. As I said before, the film production was well done, but since the Narrator sings practically 75% of the show, the casting of Friedman virtually ruined it for me. She is best put in shows like Sondheim's Passion, and more dramatic, operatic/broadway roles. I love her, just not in "Joseph."

LOVED IT!:
My daughters (6&7) love "Joseph" as do I. The music is great and it's a great way to introduce musical theater to the younger audience. One caution though. Joan Collins' outfit is a little suggestive as is the scene where she begins to take off Josephs clothes. But for little ones, I think its totally over their heads and goes by really fast. I wouldn't let that hold you back from letting them experince this dvd. Donny Osmond is a fabulous Joseph. Our family would love to see him do this on broadway again.

Imperfect, but still terrific fun!:
Donny Osmond, it would seem, was born to play this part. Both vocally and in the acting department, he raises the bar for every other Joseph out there. He captures the character's naivete and simultaneous intelligence pitch-perfect, his dazzling smile embodies the character's undying optimism, and his lovely clear tenor is perfectly suited to the singing role. I personally did like the Narrator quite a lot. She's quite funny, and her voice is very pretty. It's true that she's not belting the high notes very strongly - her vocal stylisms are more operatic than the average Broadway soprano, but I think it makes her interpretation unique and adds a quiet intensity that is normally not found in the role. There are some flaws. For example, I found the Mrs. Potiphar scene unnecessarily graphic. Though Ms. Collins looks gorgeous for her age, and acts the part with irascible charm, her costume is largely a flesh-colored leotard with a few strategic bunches of purple sequins. It looks as though she's nude and wearing pasties. The entire instrumental sequence of that scene, which in the stage version is usually just an over-the-top "seduction" scene, is replaced here with a simulated orgy. I always cover my 6yo's eyes during that part. ;) I also agree with the other reviewers who said that the Baker and the Butler were really lifeless and sang terribly, and Jacob was expressionless throughout. His version of "distraught grief" was to stand there slightly slack jawed. Really pretty boring. But these will not deter anyone from thoroughly enjoying this video again and again, and there are many aspects of the production that will forever set the standard. The eleven brothers were priceless, and all had very good chemistry with each other, the Narrator and Joseph. They also all clearly had incredible voices. The costumes were spectacular and colorful, the musical arrangement is the best I've ever heard in this show, and the pacing is compelling and consistent. The Pharaoh slays me every time - his comedic timing and appropriately overdramatic expressions coupled with his gorgeous baritone are just sublime perfection for the role. And Donny will make you grin right back at him. In short, it's a very, very strong production that surpasses every stage version I've ever seen, and it is extremely faithful to the spirit of Webber's vision.

Great visually, severely lacking musically:
If I could somehow take my CD of Joseph and line it up with this video, I would love this video. Joseph is excellent, but everyone else is only so-so. Scratch that. Everyone else is pretty bad. Visually, this was fun to watch. There's one good part in "Joseph's Coat" where the brothers (I think it's the brothers...) grab the bottom of the coat and twirl it around so the bottom half forms a color wheel of sorts. The kids running up on stage is creative, but a bit cheesy. The sets are fantastic, but clearly are designed to keep the movie grounded in its Broadway musical roots. Also, it's difficult to explain in text, but the kids in the audience look dispairingly cheesy. They have these fake smiles plastered on their faces and generally look dumb. It would not surprise me to find that the kids choir was originally from a Broadway cast and thus accustomed to overaccentuating any sort of movement. The Narrator is really not very good. I can't explain why, but it just doesn't work. Potiphar is fairly good, but he spends so much time speaking his lines instead of singing them that you hear very little of what sounded to be an excellent voice. Jacob is weak. Even if the character is an old man, the part deserves to be a fairly strong singer. The first "Poor, Poor Joseph" (when he was tossed into the pit) was visually very amusing. Very funny, but the Narrator singing it was still not great. Donny Osmond is really the only character that seems to grasp that the movie should be presented as a movie, not an overly articulated and video-taped Broadway musical. (Please understand that I'm mentally playing through the video as I write this) "Go, Go, Go Joseph" was presented as an interesting disco party. I'm not sure of the original intentions, but that scene was enjoyable. The Butler and the Baker however were again let-downs. The French accents in "Those Canaan Days," although affected by all of the brothers and Jacob, were not very good. There was a lot of non-French accent creeping in. This video is no substitute for seeing it live. I've seen it live twice by both a touring company and a local theater and both were far superior to this video. If you want to listen to the music, I suggest the 1992 Canadian Cast Recording, which also contains Donny Osmond as Joseph.

Fun Joseph All the time:
I have to agree with other users in saying that Donny does portray a great Joseph. However I've never heard a weaker performance by a narrator. For a true treat to the ears check out the cast recording starring Michael Damian and Kelli Rabke. Kelli puts out the best performance as the narrator in this recording that i've ever heard. I've watched the video, listened to many of the cast recordings and seen the show live countless times and none of the performances stand out in my mind as beautifully as Rabke's and Osmand's. What a treat it would be to see and hear the two of them together instead of the weak performance of the narrator in this video. I have to give the video five stars for creativity though. Recording the show as a performance to a grade school was a great way to easilly incorperate the children's chorus without them looking out of place or loosing screen time in the shadows of the stars. Overall the video is well worth seeing especially as a precurrser to seeing the live show.